Bryan Edwards could still play vs. Clemson. Here’s the final USC injury report
The South Carolina football team expects to have most of its injured players back come Saturday when Clemson comes to Williams-Brice Stadium, and it could have one very crucial surprise returner.
Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said wide receiver Bryan Edwards has been upgraded from doubtful following a knee scope to questionable. He also said defensive tackle Kobe Smith didn’t practice much Tuesday because of an ankle injury suffered at Texas A&M.
“He’s a guy that’s not going to need a lot of (practice) snaps,” Muschamp said of Edwards. “We’ll see how that continues to progress.”
Muschamp added running backs Tavien Feaster, AJ Turner and Mon Denson and wide receiver OrTre Smith are expected to return to action after missing the past few games.
Edwards is the program’s leader in career yards and receptions, and the team’s top pass-catcher this year. He had surgery last week after tweaking an old knee injury against Appalachian State and missing the Texas A&M game. After the procedure, Muschamp had said Edwards was unlikely to play.
Muschamp said his message to Edwards about playing was just a story, the story of Georgia running back Rodney Hampton in 1988.
“Had arthroscopic surgery on a Sunday night, he played on Saturday,” Muschamp said. “It’s been done before.”
The surgery came after a win against Florida, but the Bulldogs ultimately fell 20-10 to SEC champion Auburn.
Muschamp also added Edwards won’t try and sit this game to be conservative looking forward to the NFL.
Feaster is the team’s top rusher, but he’s missed the past couple games with a strained groin. This game has special meaning for him, given he spent his first three seasons in college with the Tigers before coming down I-26 as a graduate transfer.
Smith has been in and out of the lineup with a nagging knee injury, fallout from the surgery that ended his 2018 season. Turner went from backup corner to backup running back, but has been a crucial special teamer. Denson, the team’s No. 3 tailback had a shoulder stinger and missed the past couple games.
No decisions yet
Gamecocks starting offensive lineman Sadarius Hutcherson walked on senior day, but could return to the team next season. He was non-committal about if he’ll go through the NFL process.
“Right now I’m focused on Clemson,” Hutcherson said. “I’ll talk about things like that after the whole season is over.”
Muschamp also said any decision about former starting quarterback Jake Bentley’s future will happen after the season. Bentley came into the season aiming to set some of the program’s passing record, but was lost to a foot injury in the first game.
Feeling appreciative
Last week, South Carolina school president Robert Caslen released a statement that said, “I support Will Muschamp, and we look forward to him being our coach next year and for seasons to come.”
It brought some closure to questions that had arisen from statements from Robert Caslen to the Greenville News and Florence Morning News about plans to evaluate Muschamp after the season and questions involving his buyout. On Tuesday, Muschamp spoke for the first time since the statement.
“I appreciated it,” Muschamp said Tuesday. “And didn’t think anything else.”
Old friends, old faces
Feaster got healthy just in time to see some old teammates. He ran for more than 1,300 yards in the Upstate and was part of two national title teams.
He said the week hasn’t been too emotional, preparing to face his old squad. He said it’s just business facing off with them, but there has been a little pre-game talk.
“I’ve been keeping in touch with those guys,” Feaster said. “Should be nice and fun.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 12:41 PM.
